Webb's picture of the month: 8 stunning images showcase Einstein's theory
In space, large masses bend the spacetime around them. As a result, light bends as it travels through that region. So, when trying to view a background object that lines up with this large mass, the image appears arced, circular, or even repeated.
This is what is called gravitational lensing, and it offers some advantages. The large mass acts as a gravitational lens or a “natural telescope,” magnifying and distorting the light of distant galaxies. Using telescopes like Webb, and taking advantage of gravitational lensing, scientists can see distant objects that represent what the universe was like in its early days.
COSMOS-Web is a 255-hour Treasury program dedicated to understanding those early days. The program aims to understand how massive structures like galaxy clusters formed and evolved. Researchers used data from COSMOS-Web to search for gravitational lenses.
The survey found over 400 lensing candidates after inspecting more than 42,000 galaxies. Out of the lensing candidates, the eight most spectacular ones were selected. These are the ones shown in the collage.
The foreground galaxies in the image capture the Universe when it was around 2.7 to 8.9 billion years old. The background galaxies are the ones with distorted images, and they date back even further.
The background galaxy in the top row and second column reveals the Universe when it was barely a billion years old. This galaxy is nicknamed, “The COSMOS-Web Ring.” Surveys like this are helping us view distant galaxies and the early Universe in greater detail.
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